A Port Arthur soldier accused of playing a role in another soldier's death has hired a civilian lawyer to represent him in his court proceedings.

Army Staff Sgt. Blaine G. Dugas, Jr., 35, is the eighth soldier to face a court-martial in the death of Army Pvt. Danny Chen, 19, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound last October while stationed in Afghanistan.

A pre-trial investigation, of what the Army refers to as an Article 32 hearing which determines whether there is sufficient grounds to believe a crime was committed, was completed in February. As a result of the findings, Dugas will face four charges of dereliction of duty for failing to prevent maltreatment and failing to monitor corrective training, according to the Army.

Chen, from New York, was subjected to weeks of racial slurs - he was of Chinese descent - and physical abuse and humiliation, The Associated Press reported. Chen's family has said military investigators have told them Chen was forced to do excessive sit-ups, pushups, runs and sprints carrying sandbags.

Chen's body was found in a guard tower in Kandahar province with what the Army has described as "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." He had been in Afghanistan for two months.

One of Dugas' family members, who spoke with The Enterprise by phone Monday and asked not to have his name used, said Dugas and several of the other accused soldiers have hired a civilian lawyer to represent them in the case.

"I don't think there's anything to this," the family member said of the charges. "He's not that kind of person. He respects other peoples' rights as much as his own."

A general court-martial is the most serious level of military courts, according to the Army, and the maximum punishment is that established for each offense under the Manual for Courts-Martial, and can include death (for certain offenses), confinement, a dishonorable or bad-conduct discharge for enlisted personnel, a dismissal for officers or a number of other lesser forms of punishment.

Military counsel is provided free for soldiers. They must pay for a civilian attorney.

Dugas and the other accused soldiers remain in Afghanistan, but have been moved to another base. This is Dugas' first deployment to Afghanistan. He previously served two tours in Iraq.

The Army conducted 70 courts-martial in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan in 2011. The Army has conducted over 920 courts-martial in theater since May 2003.